Graphic Design Workshop wins international award

The UH Design Workshop within the Department of Art and Art History at UH Mānoa has won the First Place Award for Environmental/Sustainability at the 2011 international AIGA (Re)Design Awards. The winning design project is an identity system for the UH Mānoa School of Architecture and uses recycled paper, carbon-neutral printing, and a single press sheet to reduce paper waste.

According to the AIGA website, “The AIGA (Re)Design Awards is an international design competition and premier awards event that recognizes the importance and excellence of sustainable and socially responsible work.”

The UH Mānoa Graphic Design Program initiated the UH Design Workshop in Spring of 2008. The special studio, run by advanced Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) graphic design students with faculty supervision, is committed to providing high-quality graphic design work for non-profit organizations in Hawai‘i.

Earlier projects that the Design Workshop have undertaken include yearly planners for UH Health Services, an annual report for the State of Hawai‘i Environmental Council, and the visual identities of UH Mānoa’s School of Architecture and Hawai‘i Nature Center.

Although the studio is only three years old, all completed projects have won local or national recognition. They include awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts (Hawai‘i Chapter), the American Advertising Federation (Hawai‘i Chapter), and HOW Magazine, a national publication showcasing outstanding work in graphic design.

In 2010, the project designed for the UH Mānoa School of Architecture was selected as one of 28 semi-finalists, from over 600 international applicants, for the Adobe Design Achievement Awards, and will be showcased in the Print Magazine Regional Design Annual in November 2011. The annual national competition/publication recognizes outstanding graphic design.